Award of Excellence
Best Maryland Urban Office: Over 150,000 SF

Project Team

Carr Properties - (Developers + Owners)
Shalom Baranes Associates - (Architect)
Clark Construction Group - (General Contractor)
Transwestern - (Broker)
Carr Properties - (Project Manager)

Project Description

The Wilson is a 348,000 square foot office tower that is a part of a roughly 1.3 million square foot mixed-use, transit-oriented development, located in the heart of Bethesda, Maryland. The Wilson is a 24-story office building on top of a three-story below grade garage, with 350 parking spaces, and 12,000 square feet of retail. Additionally, the project includes a below grade transit station and associated tunnel for the Maryland Purple Line light rail train line, a transit plaza and entrance benefiting the Purple Line and WMATA Red Line metro stops, a new tunnel for the metropolitan Capital Crescent Trail (CCT), and a commensurate public bicycle storage room, for up to 650 bicycles.

Before final delivery, The Wilson was 100% pre-leased to six major customers, with the majority of those customers moved-in and operational at The Wilson within nine months of substantial completion.

Programmatically, The Wilson provides more than just a place to work—it offers a premier lifestyle that balances work, play, health, and convenience. Twenty-four stories of floor-to-ceiling glass, coworking office lobby, a rooftop deck and conference center with unobstructed views, private terraces, and first-class finishes, offer best-of-the-best property features. Customers and guests of The Wilson enjoy this best-in-class experience from the moment they arrive – greeted by Carr Properties’ hospitality-focused management and provided with convienct lobby-access to The Wilson’s anchor retailer, Tatte Bakery & Café, The Wilson offers a distinguished office experience.

The Wilson defines a new image for downtown Bethesda. Its location at the south end of the new enhanced Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan serves as a gateway to the suburban area. The Sector Plan allows the development to rise 295-feet tall and zoning offered opportunities for the design team to carve away the iconic podium and tower massing. The east facade is marked by sliding rectangular boxes that offer identity and outdoor terraces for office customers. The 24th floor penthouse amenity provides unrivaled views of metropolitan Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

The complex design and construction sequencing necessitated the involvement of many public and private stakeholders. The Purple Line Transit Partners, WMATA, Montgomery County Recreation and Parks Department, and one of The Wilson’s lead customers, Fox 5, all had unique construction sequencing and design requirements. Thoughtful consideration and tight coordination were required to imagine and construct The Wilson. In addition to the retail, office, and residential components of the project, the Purple Line Station tunnel, CCT tunnel, public bike storage, WMATA ventilation and egress shafts, and state-of-the-art broadcast facilities, were all housed in the same triangular site. Moreover, a historic building required relocation from the site prior to demolition, necessitating consultation with the local and state Historic Preservation Commissions.

This Wilson promotes many opportunities for sustainability and well-being. Landscaped terraces are dispersed across the project located at the main multi-modal public plaza and throughout six customer floors and the penthouse level. The Wilson has been certified LEED Gold. This is achieved utilizing various building materials and systems such as, high-performing curtainwall construction, efficient mechanical heating and cooling systems, leading edge air filtration such as Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI), and hands-free building access. The Wilson is also a hopeful two-star achiever of Fitwel status.